The Human Complex: A Cold War Experiment
by E350
Summary: It's 1950, and the Cold War has begun. A small Caribbean island finds itself nudged between both the USA and USSR, but events begin to point to a higher power. Currently in experiment phase, please read and review.
1. Episode 1: Cold War: Act 1

Hello, glorious Soviet comrades!

This is a little tidbit I want to pass through you. I'm not sure if I'll actually commit to this, but I'll put the first few chapters through and see what you think. I don't think there's been any Cold War themed fics in here, so maybe I've got a gem. Who knows? Read and review!  
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**The Human Complex**

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Episode One: Cold War**

_The Year is 1950._

_The Second World War has come to a close just five years earlier. Hitler is dead, but the new world order is hardly an optimistic one. Two armed camps have formed from the conflicting ideologies of Smith and Marx, a camp that has literally torn the world in half._

_Josef Stalin's Soviet Union is now a world power, earning its position on the blood and sacrifice of thousands of her troops on the Ostfront. The Man of Steel now has hundreds of millions under his iron fist, and hundreds of millions more at his influence._

_Harry S Truman's United States, on the other side of the world, has come out of the war relatively well-off – while it has lost a great deal, it has not suffered attacks on its home soil as had happened in Europe, and its wealth and power are felt worldwide._

_Both superpowers have access to the devastating and earth-shattering power of the atomic bomb – all life on Planet Earth relies on their ability to negotiate without resorting to armed warfare. For atomic warfare is a kind of war that has no winners, only losers._

_In a bold new world, the former imperial powers of old Europe find themselves as unacceptable vestiges in a post-Nazi world. Slowly and reluctantly, Great Britain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands dismantle their empires and accept change. Sometimes this is peaceful, such as the independence of India in 1947. Other times, independence is achieved after bloody struggle, as is the case in French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies, which transform into Vietnam and Indonesia._

_In the Caribbean Islands, British forces are in the final phases of peacefully evacuating a small island in preparation for the creation of a new republic. Lodged between the interests of the USA and the USSR, the new country will have a difficult world to attend to._

_Unfortunately, fate will not be kind to the burgeoning domain…_


	2. Episode 1: Cold War: Act 2

Alas! Finally, we have some Nicktoons. Also, you may note that I took 'Nicktoons' off the title - I checked my plan and realised there were Simpsons characters here, making the label redundant. Sorry.  


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The red, white and blue flag was lowered from the flagpole as several British soldiers finished picking up their equipment, ready to leave the former colony for the last time.

Danny watched the scene, piecing together what it meant for the island. The people had been asking for this for some time, even since before the war. Now, the British were finally leaving – leaving them to an uncertain future, but a future of their own nonetheless.

"…yes, that will be all," he heard a voice saying, "Yes…no, we don't need anyone to stay behind, we have our own army now – _goodbye_, Brigadier."

Vlad Masters, the first President of the Island, walked over. Danny's father, who had been with him, was beaming.

"Well, V-Man, we finally did it!" he grinned, "And with you as our first President, too!"

"Well, somebody here needs to have an idea what they're doing," nodded Vlad, giving a small grin, "I trust you feel the euphoria, Daniel?"

"Uh…yeah, yeah I do," nodded Danny, quickly.

Vlad shook his head, and crossed his arms.

"Well, you'll see in the future," he decided, "From here on in, things can only get better for us…"

"_OH JESUS CHRIST!_"

A soldier ran from the trees, a look of horrified disgust on his face. He ran to his commanding officer, screaming.

"Sir, Brigadier, its Sergeant Morison's team, they're…they're…"

The soldier reeled over and vomited onto the concrete surface of the base.

The Brigadier gave a growl, and marched quickly into the trees. Vlad and Jack glanced at each other, before giving chase. Danny followed them.

Jack looked into the growth, and gave a disgusted groan.

"Danny, you don't need to see this," he said, in a rare gruff tone.

Danny stepped back as Vlad and the British officer looked at what Jack had seen. Both turned pale.

Seven British soldiers lay, strewn across the green and brown surface of the jungle. The soil was stained red, and there was a foul smell wafting in the breeze.

"Something tells me this isn't malaria," said the officer, at last.

"That much is certain," agreed Vlad, "Jack, get a medic…and some undertakers."

Jack nodded, swallowing. He grabbed Danny and ran back towards the base.

"My government is going to want a full investigation, Masters," snapped the officer, "I trust you can give them one?"

"Yes," nodded Vlad, uncertainly, "I believe I can."

He turned his back and walked away, but not before giving a shudder. All of a sudden, everything seemed just a little bit colder.

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Major Damon Grey spoke into the phone, attempting to reassure his daughter.

"Don't worry about it, Valerie," he reassured, tugging on the olive coat of his officer's uniform, "President Masters has it all under control."

"_I know that,_" implored Valerie, "_I'm just worried you're overworking again_._ What did you call General Fisher again…slavedriver, wasn't it?_"

"Well, he wasn't called 'Skulker' in the war for nothing," agreed Damon.

"_Wouldn't 'Skulker' imply laziness?_"

"It's an ironic nickname," admitted Damon, "Don't worry about it. At least I'm earning a living."

"_You should've stuck with the British_," sighed Valerie, _"They paid more._"

"Yes, but then I'd have to leave," reminded Damon, "How does the Suez sound to you?"

There was a short silence.

"Yeah, didn't think so," nodded Damon, "Anyway, I'll have to call you later, honey, I've got a report to make."

He wrapped up the phone call.

He stepped into the radar headquarters to find General Fisher leaning over a radio, looking concerned.

"Is there a problem, General?" he asked,

Fisher handed him a headphone.

"Frequency 178," he replied, "Listen."

Damon slowly placed the headphone over his ear.

"…_the Planet Earth seems to be…becoming…a great arsenal of de…struction…on the…UNIVERSAL…stage…recommend small…scale of…intervention…"_

Damon lowered the headphone.

"Seems to be a message," he mused, "Made from a patchwork of radio announcements. I got a bit of Roosevelt in there."

"Yeah, I got the trivia, who is it from?" demanded Fisher, "The Americans or the Soviets?"

"…or a third party," mused Damon.

"Quite possibly," nodded Fisher, "You're the intelligence officer, work it out."

He walked grumpily away.

Damon continued to listen to the message, only to find it repeated over and over again.

What did it mean?

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Vlad before he was a git, Skulker before he was a ghost and some other things!

Yes, that was worth mentioning!


	3. Episode 1: Cold War: Act 3

Not much to say here, so...review replies!

**Movie-Brat:** Just the Simpsons for now, but we'll see as time goes on. Thanks for the review!

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The Island's military was not much to look at. Decked out in old fatigues dating from the Second World War, with rimmed bowl helmets and rusting rifles to boot, the full number of eighty-seven soldiers did not look threatening at all.

Vlad glared at them with mild disdain, before turning to his accomplices in the Presidential Palace courtyard, Jack and Brigadier Quagmire.

"I'm sorry we can't offer anything better, Brigadier," he apologised.

"You'll do," sighed Quagmire, somewhat reservedly.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Jack.

"Major Grey has given me detailed notes of the jungle near the old British base," replied Vlad, "I'll be sending a small team of four men in to investigate. We're thinking it's either a wild animal or guerrillas wanting to get in a last shot before your troops leave."

"My men are too well trained to be killed by guerrillas," snapped the Brigadier.

"If they're so well trained, why were they assigned to this backwater, then?" asked Vlad.

The Brigadier did not answer.

"Jack, you'll be accompanying the Brigadier in his investigation," he informed, "I need someone providing overwatch for us – and I trust you."

"Won't let you down, V-Man!" grinned Jack.

Vlad nodded, grimly. He looked at his 'army' again, and sighed.

"I guess I shouldn't have thought being President would be easy," he sighed.

Jack grinned, and slapped him on the back.

"You're doing a great job, Vladdie!" he complimented, "Don't worry about it!"

Vlad gave a small smile, and walked briskly back inside.

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"It's perfect, comrade."

"It's _amoral_," snapped Norm, crossing his arms, "I mean, yeah, KGB, big surprise, but…to use _kids_? That's beyond even _me."_

"Yes, but this comes from Comrade Beria," Norm's boss said, giving a small grin as he leant against the harbour container, "You wouldn't want to go against Beria…would you?"

Norm shuddered.

"Fine," he said at last, "But I'm not happy about it."

"I'll make the call for you," the boss nodded, "You be here at five o'clock tomorrow evening…"

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Jimmy Neutron stepped off the bus and walked into his house, humming to himself. Strolling into the kitchen, he put down his backpack – and immediately made for his fridge. He was just opening it when the telephone rang.

Hesitantly, Jimmy picked it out.

"Hello?" he asked.

"_Ah, my friend,_" a heavily accented voice spoke, "_It is good to speak with you, Mr. Neutron_."

"Who are you?" asked Jimmy, sceptically.

"_I am a friend, as I said. I'm more interested in you, Mr. Neutron. Average parents, but above-average intellect and a mother who works at the Presidential Palace…you'd make a valuable intelligence asset."_

"Who are you?" Jimmy repeated, more forcefully this time.

"_Come to the docks tomorrow at five pm…you will be told everything._"

The strange man hung up, leaving Jimmy in silence.

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Vlad sat at his desk, the only lit room in the Presidential Palace at this late hour. He considered briefly how he was going to word the earlier incident to the British Embassy.

Looking out the window, he glanced at the jungle in the hills. For a moment, he felt like something was in there, staring at him.

The door opened, and Vlad turned to his new guest.

"You must be the American ambassador?" he nodded.

"Yes," the man replied, "President Truman sends his greetings."

The old, hunched man walked up to Vlad's desk and gave an unpleasant grin.

"C. Montgomery Burns," he greeted, and he extended his hand.

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And so, episode one ends.

Incidently, you did NOT go against Beria. If you did...he killed you! If you were lucky, of course.


	4. Episode 2: The Powers That Be: Act 1

A little update to make up for the lateness of my last Halloween oneshot. Enjoy!

Review replies;

**Movie-Brat:** I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reading!  
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Episode Two: The Powers That Be**

_The World is changing._

_Every day, we watch as London and Paris cling desperately to what they have left, before their once proud empires split into nothing. All the while, Washington and Moscow both make it their agenda to foil the old ways of imperial ambition – replacing it with their own._

_Former colonies throw away the chains of France and Great Britain…only to gain new ones. It's all the same, in the end – wether it be through a colonial overlord or an 'alliance for protection' – the strong control the world of the weak._

_For that is the order of the Powers that Be…_

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"The United Nations ratified the end of the British mandate here yesterday," Brigadier Quagmire was saying, "I have to be gone within seven days."

Vlad nodded, not really listening. He was skimming over the reports handed to him by Mr. Burns. Burns had ideas, Vlad agreed – and while they all, directly or indirectly, ended up profiting the American ambassador, the industrial opportunities he had written up would also enrich the island.

"I have come up with an idea," Quagmire continued, "We shall take a small unit of your soldiers, maybe four men, and scout the area where my troops died. We shall turn the place upside-down, if necessary. I _will_ find out what killed my men."

"I'm sure you will," nodded Vlad, "So, do you have any more news from the UN?"

"Yes," nodded the Brigadier, "Mr. Burns, if you will?"

Burns gave a look that was halfway between pleasure and disgust.

"They've halved the protection mandate," he explained, "You're now under the protection of the United States…"

"Who holds the other half?" asked Vlad, "I mean, the French still hold a few islands…"

"Actually, it's the Soviets," corrected Mr. Burns.

Vlad did a spit-take.

"The _Soviets?"_ he demanded, "The UN is sending troops to watch us, and they're the _Soviets?"_

"And the Americans," interjected the Brigadier, helpfully/

Vlad glowered.

"Oh, _fantastic_," he snarled, "So I have to dodge between the USA and the USSR, do I? Talk about a rock and a hard place…"

He banged his fist on the table.

"Welcome to the new world, Mr. President," grinned Burns.

Vlad let out a somewhat agonised sigh.

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Jimmy did not feel particularly right as he walked into the dingy warehouse on the Port. It was dark and grungy, with piles of boxes and crates. It was clear that this area had been abandoned for a long time.

"Wow…talk about a fortress of solitude!"

Jimmy once again mentally questioned why he had brought Sheen along.

"So, where are we meeting this creep?" Sheen asked.

"This 'creep' is standing right in front of you."

Norm stood before them, arms crossed.

"Who are you?" demanded Jimmy, "And what do you want from me?"

"The name's Norm," replied Norm, "I have a job for you. We've got a little…business…with your government."

Jimmy crossed his arms.

"Go on."

"Let me put it this way," continued Norm, "I'm from the United Nations, and we want to know as much as possible about your little island. You do that; I'll pay you, kapeesh?"

Jimmy looked puzzled.

"Why does the UN need to know about us?" he asked.

"Dude!" snapped Sheen, "We're getting paid! Who cares what the UN thinks?"

He thought for a moment.

"What's the UN?"

Jimmy and Norm rolled their eyes.

"OK, I need you to get information on the island's defences," explained Norm, "If you can get it, I'll pay you a thousand bucks."

Sheen's eyes nearly popped out.

"Alright," nodded Jimmy, "But this still seems fishy…"

Sheen dragged him away before he could continue, the desire for the money outweighing his sense of self-preservation.

Norm sighed, and spoke into a handheld radio.

"OK, you got your agents," he sighed, "Good for you. Can I go home now?"

"_Da, comrade,_" the voice replied, "_Meet them here again at this time tomorrow._"

Norm rolled his eyes, and walked away.

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Ah, Sheen. You've got to love him.


End file.
